Chapter 380 – Who Does She Think She Is?

“Auntie Huang and I made a bunch of flatbreads early this morning. You and your husband can take them on the road when you leave,” Auntie Huang said while wiping the table.

Li Yiyi ate as she listened. “Auntie Huang, I’m leaving the house in your hands, along with my mother- and father-in-law. If anything comes up at home, just go to the communication room and call us. They know our number over there.”

Auntie Huang nodded. “Don’t worry about the house. The three of us old folks will take good care of it.”

Just as she finished breakfast, Mother Jiang came in from the kitchen carrying the flatbreads she had packed up.

“There are ten in here. Each one is pretty big. You and San have enough. Take good care of yourselves out there,” she reminded her gently.

Li Yiyi took the bag from her hands and immediately caught the scent of the flatbreads. The bag was still warm to the touch.

“You and San don’t need to worry about home. Your dad and I will stay here until you two come back. We won’t leave until then. The three of us—me, your dad, and Auntie Huang—will look after the house and the two kids,” Mother Jiang continued.

Li Yiyi listened seriously and, once Mother Jiang finished, finally said to the three elders, “There’s some money in the middle drawer of my room. It’s for household expenses. If you need anything, just take it. Don’t try to save it for us. We’ll be earning wages and even bonuses this time.”

The three elders opened their mouths but ended up swallowing their words.

Just then, the sound of a car came from outside, followed by a voice calling out, “Excuse me, is this Dr. Li’s home? Is Dr. Li in?”

Hearing the voice, Li Yiyi knew her ride had arrived. She quickly called back, “I’m Li Yiyi, I’m home. Just a second, I’ll be right out.”

“Dad, Mom, Auntie Huang, I’m heading out. Please take care of yourselves. Oh—and in my wardrobe, there’s a stash of medicine. If any of you ever get a headache or feel unwell, just help yourselves.”

She only remembered to mention this just as she was about to leave. Illnesses can come unexpectedly, and even though there was a medical center for family members, she still felt uneasy.

After making sure everything was said, Li Yiyi slung a backpack over her shoulder and left the house.

As soon as she stepped out, she saw a military-green vehicle parked out front. There was only one driver inside.

“Aren’t there supposed to be more people?” she asked the driver as she got in.

He smiled and replied, “They’re already at the airport. You’ll be flying this time—it saves time.”

Li Yiyi felt a slight pang of disappointment at his words. She had hoped she and Jiang Hong could travel together, but it seemed that wouldn’t be happening.

“Okay, wait just a second—I forgot something. I’ll be right back,” she said quickly.

The driver smiled kindly. “No problem, Comrade Li. Take your time. We’re in no rush.”

Li Yiyi gave a small smile, then jogged back into the house, retrieved something, and handed it to Mother Jiang. “Mom, if Jiang Hong comes back later, please give this bottle to him. Or if you happen to go over to him, that’s fine too.”

Mother Jiang saw that it was a medicine bottle and immediately guessed it must be something important for her son and daughter-in-law.

She took the bottle with a firm grip and promised solemnly, “Alright, I understand. I’ll make sure to give it to San personally. Don’t worry.”

Li Yiyi smiled, gave the house one last look, and finally climbed into the military vehicle and left the family compound.

As the car passed through the military district gates, back in the residential area, Jiang Hong came running home, soaked in sweat.

“Mom, where’s Yiyi?” He searched the house but couldn’t find her anywhere.

Mother Jiang looked at her sweaty son with a mix of sympathy and helplessness. “If only you’d come back a bit earlier. Your wife just left in the car not long ago. Here—she asked me to give you this.”

“She already left?” he said, feeling a twinge of disappointment. So they wouldn’t be traveling together after all.

He suppressed the small pang in his heart, quickly regained his energy, gave Mother Jiang some last-minute instructions, and dashed back out.

Watching her son’s fleeting figure, Mother Jiang sighed with heartache, then turned and busied herself with the housework.

Meanwhile, Li Yiyi arrived at the airport about half an hour later.

Airports back then were nothing like the busy ones in later years—there were fewer people, and only a handful of planes.

When she entered the departure hall, the first thing she noticed was that there were quite a number of people in their group.

Men and women both. She had no idea what professions they were in, but no wonder Jiang Hong had sent someone to protect her—these folks probably couldn’t even protect themselves.

“Are you Comrade Li Yiyi?” As she was about to approach the group, a young man with glasses came over and asked.

Li Yiyi nodded slightly. “Yes, I’m Li Yiyi.”

“Great, we were just waiting on you. Do you need to prepare anything else? If not, we’ll be boarding the plane right away,” the man said with a faint, easy smile.

Li Yiyi shook her head. “No, I’m ready.”

“Alright then, everyone’s here. Please follow me. The plane is ready and waiting for boarding,” the young man said as he led the way.

“Ah, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name’s Shen Zhou,” he added with a cheerful smile.

Li Yiyi nodded back. “Hello, Comrade Shen.”

As they reached the group, a sharp, unfriendly voice suddenly rang out.

“Who does she think she is? Some big shot? Making all of us wait around just for her?”

At first, Li Yiyi didn’t want to respond. But the woman behind the voice seemed to think she was easy to pick on and just wouldn’t stop.

Annoyed, Li Yiyi glanced over. It was a woman who, though dressed decently, had a face that screamed meanness and pettiness.